Microsoft Ireland and CJ Fallon to offer schoolbooks through the cloud

9 Feb 2012261 Views

(left to right) Orla Sheridan, Consumer Channels Group Director of Microsoft Ireland; Margaret Richardson and Cian Beirne, students from Pope John Paul II National School Malahide and Brian Gilsenan, CEO of CJ Fallon Publishers

Educational publisher CJ Fallon will offer its schoolbooks through the cloud on the Windows Azure Programme, claiming it will save parents up to 25pc of the cost of textbooks per student.

As part of the new deal between CJ Fallon and Microsoft Ireland, the e-books can be read through CJ Fallon’s e-reader, available for free through its website, which can be used to unlock specific titles for use based on a licensing model.

Schools are given access to the licence manager to allow them to target specific resources at individual users or class groups.

“We’re delighted to be able to launch this initiative with Microsoft today,” said Brian Gilsenan, CEO of CJ Fallon Publishers.

“We’ve many of our books already available through the cloud and are set to bring all of them online by September 2012. As well as the distribution of schoolbooks to students through the cloud, we will be launching a new personalised ‘MyCJFallon’ service in coming months.

“Through this, teachers will be able to access and save all of their favourite CJ Fallon resources which are provided to support all of our major titles, from e-books, animations, audio, video and interactives, to their own profile via the CJ Fallon website. We hope this platform will be beneficial for teachers, students and parents alike,” he said.

Orla Sheridan, Consumer Channels Group director at Microsoft Ireland, believes the partnership between Microsoft Ireland and CJ Fallon shows how cloud applications can enable the ability of all sectors to transition to the cloud.

“Through this service, CJ Fallon are cuttings costs for parents, making lesson planning for teachers easier and supporting the move of the Irish education system to an online forum,” said Sheridan.

“This is a great initiative and a great use of Microsoft Windows Azure Programme,” she said.